Photovoltaic cells convert solar energy into electrical energy to power various applications, from handheld calculators and street signs to water pumping applications and large grid-tied electrical systems. Photovoltaic cells are particularly useful, however, in remote and extra-orbital applications where grid electricity is not available. Individual photovoltaic cells are generally implemented for smaller applications, such as handheld calculators. Larger applications, such as grid-tied solar panels and photovoltaic panels powering satellites, require multiple cells to generate electrical energy needed.
The implementation of multiple photovoltaic cells presents several challenges. Conventional photovoltaic cells have an active area surrounded by an inactive area. Because the inactive area generally includes the edge of a cell, the active areas of the cells cannot be placed adjacent to each other, causing a grid-like area where light is either absorbed or reflected and cannot be converted to electrical energy. Additionally, to create a photovoltaic array, many photovoltaic cells are connected in series and these series strings are connected in parallel to achieve the desired output voltage and power for the photovoltaic array. The current produced, however, tends to be limited by the cell illuminated by the least amount of light in a series string of photovoltaic cells.
Further, to harness the electrical energy generated by absorption of light, metal is deposited across various portions of the photovoltaic cells. Many photovoltaic designs have the widest metalized regions at the edge of the photovoltaic cell and minimize metalized regions farther in from the edges. Light incident on the metalized regions is reflected away from the active regions of the photovoltaic array and lost from the conversion process for typical photovoltaic cell systems.